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PROVO — A Provo neighborhood is mourning after a longtime resident was killed in an explosion in an outbuilding early Friday.
Neighbors reported hearing the explosion in the area of 1600 W. 1000 North about 6:30 a.m. and called 911, said Provo Fire Capt. Sam Armstrong.
A married man and woman were at the home at the time, Armstrong said. One of the spouses made it out safely, but the other was in an outbuilding, or shed, attached to the home's garage, where the explosion happened.
That person died, Armstrong said. His or her name has not yet been released.
Fire officials said the fire did not spread beyond the outbuilding. A police officer suffered burns to his hands while trying to help the victim in the outbuilding. The officer was treated on scene.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
David Higginbotham, who lives a few houses away from the explosion, said it rattled his upstairs windows and he could see flames coming from the home.
He described the residents of the home as longtime members of the neighborhood.
"The neighborhood is getting older, right? A lot of the residents have lived here for probably 40 or 50 years," he said.
Higginbotham said he often sees the husband out and about "working on his lawn or garden."
"He restored kind of a vintage old pickup truck that's in his driveway right now," Higginbotham said. "I had seen him probably two or three weeks ago. We had gone over and talked with their family ... to bring some treats over to their home, then to find out (about) this horrible, horrible accident. It kind of shakes you up."
This story will be updated.
